蕭昶欣/英文/CFM/9月23-29日
1As you read Galatians, record the impressions you receive.
2Doing so will help you remember and ponder them in the future.
3The gospel of Jesus Christ offers freedom from spiritual bondage.
4But sometimes people who have experienced the freedom of the gospel turn away from it and “desire again to be in bondage” (Galatians 4:9).
5This is what some Galatian Saints were doing—they were turning away from the liberty Christ had offered them (see Galatians 1:6).
6Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians, then, was an urgent call to come back to “the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free” (Galatians 5:1).
7This call is one we also need to hear and heed because while circumstances change, the struggle between freedom and bondage is constant.
8As Paul taught, it’s not enough to be “called unto liberty” (Galatians 5:13); we must also “stand fast” in it (Galatians 5:1) by relying on Christ.
9Paul wrote to the Galatian Saints when he learned they were being led astray by false teachings.
10One of these teachings was that in order to be saved, Gentiles who had accepted the gospel needed to be circumcised and to keep other traditions of the law of Moses.
11Paul called these traditions “the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1) because they were preventing the Saints from fully living the law of Christ, which brings true freedom.
12What do you find in Paul’s counsel to the Galatians that can help you understand what true freedom is?
13You could also ponder what yokes of bondage might exist in your life.
14Is there anything that is preventing you from experiencing the freedom that the gospel offers?
15How have Christ and His gospel “made [you] free”? (Galatians 5:1).
16See also 2 Nephi 2:27; 9:10–12.
17Some of the Galatian Saints were concerned that because they were not literal descendants (“seed”) of Abraham, they would not receive the blessings promised to Abraham, including those of exaltation.
18According to Galatians 3:7–9, 13–14, 27–29, what qualifies a person to be the “seed of Abraham”?
19To learn about the blessings promised to Abraham and the blessings that we can inherit as his seed, see Bible Dictionary, “Abraham, covenant of,” and “Abrahamic Covenant,” Gospel Topics, topics.lds.org.
20The Prophet Joseph Smith explained: “We cannot believe, that the ancients in all ages were so ignorant of the system of heaven as many suppose, since all that were ever saved, were saved through the power of this great plan of redemption, as much so before the coming of Christ as since. …
21Abraham offered sacrifice, and notwithstanding this, had the Gospel preached to him”.
22(“The Elders of the Church in Kirtland to Their Brethren Abroad,” The Evening and the Morning Star, Mar. 1834, 143, josephsmithpapers.org)
23The following scriptures also indicate that the gospel of Jesus Christ was preached before the Savior’s mortal ministry: Helaman 8:13–20; Moses 6:50–66.
24Studying these verses can help you evaluate how fully you are walking in the Spirit.
25Are you experiencing the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in verses 22–23?
26What other fruit, or results, of spiritual living have you noticed?
27Ponder what you need to do to cultivate this fruit more fully.
28How might cultivating this fruit improve the important relationships in your life?
29I must seek the “fruit of the Spirit” in my life.
30Perhaps you are trying to walk in the Spirit, but it doesn’t seem like your efforts are bearing the promised fruit.
31Read Galatians 6:7–10 (often referred to as the law of the harvest).
32What message do you feel the Lord has for you in these verses?
33How could you use these verses to encourage someone who is struggling to live the gospel?
34See also Alma 32:28, 41–43; Doctrine and Covenants 64:32–34.
35As you read the scriptures with your family, the Spirit can help you know what principles to emphasize and discuss in order to meet the needs of your family.
36Here are some suggestions:
37What does it mean to “live by faith”?
38What is your family doing to show that you live by faith?
39You might introduce Galatians 4 by discussing the differences between a king’s servants and his children.
40What opportunities or potential does a king’s child have that a servant does not?
41Think about this as you read together verses 1–7.
42What do these verses teach about our relationship with Heavenly Father?
43To add some fun to your discussion of Galatians 5:22–23, your family could label different fruits with words Paul used to describe the “fruit of the Spirit.”
44Then each family member could select one, define it, and talk about someone who exemplifies that fruit.
45This could lead to a discussion about ways your family could invite the Spirit into your home and cultivate this fruit.
46After the discussion, you could enjoy a fruit salad together.
47There may be times when someone in your family is “overtaken in a fault.”
48What counsel do you find in Galatians 6:1 about what to do in such a situation?
49If your family has ever planted something together, you could use that experience to illustrate the principle “whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (verse 7).
50Or you could ask family members about their favorite fruits or vegetables and talk about what it takes to grow a plant that produces that food.
51(You can use the picture that accompanies this outline as a visual aid.)
52You could then have a conversation about blessings your family hopes to receive and how to “reap” those blessings.
53For more ideas for teaching children, see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Primary.
54Help your family liken the scriptures to themselves.
55Nephi said, “I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning” (1 Nephi 19:23).
56To help your family do this, you could invite them to ponder times when they have experienced the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22–23.
57(See Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 21.)
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